News9.com:
Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.
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How can anyone believe we need more money for schools? They get 100 times the money now than they did when our kids tested number 1 in the world. Teachers unions, bowing down to the federal government, teachers scared to teach anything controversial and trying to please every parent are some of the major problems that need to be addressed. No more money until they perform. Kids from schools with no computers and no support staff test higher than kids from public schools. Why do we keep rewarding failure?
It's not the money. Like most government programs, the money is there. It's just poorly spent. And again, as an educator who is married to a former educator, the reason is simple: Too much time spent teachings the kids what they are supposed to think, instead of what they are supposed to know. Too much time advancing agendas, rather than teaching the basics. And not caring, by the way, who or what is left out. My oldest went into his new year this year, and a teacher had a big sign saying 'this classroom is a safe place for gays, lesbians, and trans-gender students!' My son asked 'does that mean we can beat the crap out of heterosexuals!' A mere middle-schooler, and he sees the obvious gaps and vacancies in our educational theories and strategies better than many adults.
I agree. Ever since the federal government has involved themselves in our education system students have been required to regurgitate what they want them to think. It was better before the feds took over. Kids were mostly given facts and conflicting opinions then allowed to determine on their own what should be believed or not. This went against what the government wanted them to believe. They don't want critical thinking in our schools. It does not benefit them to have people thinking for themselves. Why would the government want the people to be opinionated and self reliant? No, they want submissive, obedient and dependent people so they will eventually turn to the government for help.
BTW high schools have taken our money and built million dollar stadiums for their football teams. How has this made the kids any smarter? They only need enough for books, desks and lights. The rest is a waste.
By the way - and this might come too late for this post - but similar national surveys have found the same lack of knowledge about basic civics in our country. So it isn't just Okies, conservatives, Republicans, bible believers, or any other group folks want to stereotype. It may be because our education spends most of its time trying to tell kids what to think, instead of what to know.
I would love you back up "they teach them what to think, instead of what to know." Our local schools rate rather high on state tests, and are based on the 3 R's so I have to supplement with afterschool activities (nature center, girl scouts, and art) to enhance her education.
Shocking news, but I have a funny solution to the ignorance. See "No Oakie Left Behind" @ http://www.thelintscreen.com
I cannot believe that I was punk'd by this story. The supposed results plays into liberals biases against Red States and it plays into conservatives biases about incompetent teachers insulated by their union.
There's no way that 77% of high school students can't name the first President. All you would have to say is I've got 50 bills in my pocket with the picture of the first President on it, you can have them all if you tell me his name.
This was a bogus test administered by phone conducted by Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) which was founded in 1993 as a public policy research organization focused primarily on state-level issues.
OCPA has been part of an emerging, national trend of conservative, state-based think tanks. The founders, led by Dr. David Brown, envisioned an organization that was capable of affecting the state’s public policy similar to national level think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation.
Throughout its 15 years of existence, OCPA has conducted research and analysis of public issues in Oklahoma from a perspective of limited government, individual liberty and a free-market economy."
OCPA has a vested interest in smearing Oklahoma's public school. OCPA: You lie!
Thank you!
It's funny how much effort people put in to discredit surveys, polls, news and even facts when they don't like the results, yet when the survey, poll or news story fits in with their agenda they put in little to no effort at all.
This is how the pollsters describe themselves:
"Throughout its 15 years of existence, OCPA has conducted research and analysis of public issues in Oklahoma from a perspective of limited government, individual liberty and a free-market economy."
An anti-government think tank conducts a survey of public school attendees because they're just curious about how public schools are working and don't have an agenda to prove their failing?
I doubt that.
Here's how they administered the test. They anonymously called 1000 Oklahoma students and asked them such questions as who is the first President.
You interrupt a kid from their X-Box, for a non-required test about who the first President is and you expect them to answer you seriously?
Instead of publishing the supposed results of this bogus survey, I would like them to publish the actual answers the kids gave, to determine how seriously they took this non-school affiliated survey.
Not one of the 1000 students received 100%. Not one. This is supposed to be representative of the entire high school population of Oklahoma?
I have a higher regard for Oklahoma high school students than that.
Looking at the full test that's been floated around, it looks like the results don't mean much. Some kids guessed that Michael Jackson and Barrack Obama wrote the Declaration of Independence. Sorry, but it seems like the kids that took it were just messing around.
You Republicans sure know how to create vivid meaningful lies. But they aren't true.
Now, Miss (almost) South Carolina said the reason Okies' scored low (or do you say high) is because President Obama sent all the maps to Kenya for his relatives to get to the U.S. but to tell you that Joe Wilson, her brother, is sending you some naturalized Mexican Americans to help with your history.
So you accept the point of view of a right wing ultra conservative think tank whose mission is to discredit public schools and promote vouchers? That's who bought and paid for this "study," which isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
I'm not a republican. Look at the test. The results are ridiculous. Out of 1000 kids, not 1 knew his or her history? That's not plausible.
Does anyone here, seriously think the former President George W. Bush would have done any better on the test?
Bush at one point claimed he'd recently read three biographies of George Washington.
Not sure if that would have helped, though.
On the other hand, maybe the majority of students who participated in the survey could care less.
Is not knowing George Washington was the first president going to stop them from doing anything?
Ignorance certainly hasn't been a hindrance to Palin, Bachman, Wilson, and others.
No problem for Hannity who never graduated from college, nor Rove for that matter. He was too busy playing political dirty tricks to graduate. Limbaugh? Drop out. Intellectual heavy weights. No, just heavy.
What? Hannity never graduated from college? Doesn't have a master's degree? No advance degrees? I'm going to slit my wrists. I had so much respect for his opinions!
We reap what we sow. Stupid in, stupid out. It's time that we start teaching history and science as facts instead of something to be toyed with and changed to fit our opinions. The little things matter and until the department of education mandates that all school systems receiving federal funds are required to teach science, not creationism we are going to keep going backwards. Our world class scientist will be imported from China and India. Our world class thinkers will be from Europe and Africa. Our manual labor will be Americans, but since our manufacturing is being sent overseas, what will be left for us to do? A uneducated populous will no longer be able to sustain a first world standard of living. We can keep telling our kids it's okay to be stupid, but know that others value the education we take for granted.
Only 1 out of 10 Progressive Liberals can name the OTHER black candidate for President in 2008.
Why would anyone want to know the name of that nutb@g ?
It's the South what do you expect. Their parents think Obama is a Nazi and Socialist.
Honey, Oklahoma is NOT the South.. We have enough nutbags here and I don't want to confused with the land of Oral Roberts...
A lot of Americans (and geographers) group Oklahoma with the south central states. As you know, during the civil war it was controlled by and part of the Confederacy (as a territory, not a state) so there's some history there too.
Given the state of education in the US - and that the GOP has used every chance to chop away at it -- I wouldn't be surprised if the results would be similar all over.
HOWEVER: The source of this study is EXTREMELY suspect. You can set up a survey to show anything you want, if that's what you're trying to accomplish.
What do you expect from an all RED state, but seriously, if this is true how sad!
Color me not surprised.
http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/article/3211
Here's Ladner again using his discredited methods to rally support for charter and private schools, and again, to bash public schools.
Okay!!!!
You are approaching spam territory.
We get that you don't like Oklahoma, but it's shameful to insult kids based on sham studies like this. They don't deserve it.
This is where Fox "news" viewers come from.
We need education reform in this country.
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First Posted: 09-17-09 09:38 PM | Updated: 09-17-09 10:22 PM